The Somerset estate was taking full advantage of its spacious grounds, which were far larger than what would typically befit its title.

“Hm… Don’t you think this part seems a bit unnatural?”

“I agree. It doesn’t seem like the professor intended this motion in his original draft.”

Students from the Academy’s Art Department, who jokingly referred to themselves as “guests-slash-slaves,” had foregone their break to spend hours painting in the lab nestled in a corner of the estate.

And it wasn’t just them.

“The piano should take center stage here instead of the violin, with a touch of woodwind in the background.”

When music students from the Academy found out that Wolfgang was in charge of the animation's music, they eagerly joined the project, helping to compose the main theme together.

“It’s essential for the music leading up to the story’s climax to evoke both an unfinished and free-spirited feeling.”

Easier said than done.

The music accompanying the protagonist Elsa’s realization of freedom after a long struggle was one of the most critical parts. Its quality could make or break the entire piece, demanding meticulous fine-tuning.

But—

“Yes! For this part, if we use minor chords for the buildup and switch to major for the climax, we can convey both chaos and liberation!”

Wolfgang’s reclaimed talent allowed him to navigate these complexities effortlessly. With Wolfgang composing the main piece seamlessly, all that remained was for the other students to refine details, record the music, and embed it into the playback stones.

The students, constantly busy with their respective roles in creating the animation’s visuals and music, had dark circles under their eyes—a result of several sleepless nights.

• You may come and go as you wish.

 

However, none of this was enforced.

Rupert, not wanting to lose future talents to exhaustion, offered them complete freedom over their schedules.

Yet the students willingly chose to stay and work.

‘The animation we saw at the closing ceremony was incredible!’
‘It’s thrilling to see my own drawings come to life!’
‘I can’t wait to see the final result as soon as possible!’

What motivated them was their dreams.

Those drawn in by the scene the manga club had unveiled at the end-of-term ceremony were now here, not because of any mandate, but out of their own desire to create and see their work come to fruition.

On top of that, Rupert’s daily wages were more than generous, turning into a substantial incentive for the students.

“Master! Could you take a look at this drawing?”

But it wasn’t only students who visited the Somerset estate.

“Your Highness, haven’t I told you a few times? Simply drawing a front view doesn’t suit a comic.”

Rupert sighed as he looked at the drawing Edric handed him.

‘Of course, it’s impressive how hard he’s trying.’

Having seen Edric’s artistic skills firsthand in the club during the school term, Rupert could tell just by looking at his vastly improved drawings that Edric had been putting in substantial effort.

“While I’ve managed to get the front view somewhat right, drawing side profiles or other angles is still quite challenging.”

Edric had come to Rupert, requesting art lessons to create a piece he envisioned. It was an unexpected visit, to say the least.

‘Master, I’m willing to do anything, so please teach me to draw,’ Edric had insisted, staying as a guest in the estate’s visitor quarters and giving Rupert quite the headache.

Since Edric’s status prevented Rupert from simply sending him away, Rupert had been reviewing his work and assigning him tasks.

‘As rough as it is, he oddly manages to draw female characters reasonably well.’

While his backgrounds, compositions, and proportions were still amateurish, his peculiar knack for drawing female characters was surprisingly passable.

Moreover—

‘I have this concept for a manga that I’d like to create.’

When Edric revealed the premise of the manga he wanted to work on, Rupert was taken aback.

‘This story is bound to resonate.’

Rupert was still processing the impact of Edric’s story idea. In his view, it was polished enough to debut in modern Earth, with an exceptionally refined and emotional depth.

While there are many qualities of a good manga, Rupert personally considered the hardest to achieve to be emotional resonance.

Unlike a novel, where imagination could run wild, or animation, where visuals and sound could amplify the experience, manga’s appeal was inherently direct and intuitive.

This was both a strength and a drawback, as capturing deep emotions was quite challenging.

One author of Japanese youth manga was particularly renowned for this—the artist masterfully portrayed youthful romance through the themes of sports and youth.

The timeless scenes, crafted to tug at the readers’ hearts, remained unparalleled to this day.

However, Edric’s manga concept wasn’t about staging powerful scenes; it aimed to evoke emotion through its setting and storyline.

‘How did you come up with such a story?’

‘I guess… it came from constantly thinking about someone out of my reach,’ Edric replied with a faintly bittersweet smile.

“Your Highness, take this mannequin and try drawing it from different angles.”

“This is?”

Rupert handed Edric a wooden mannequin.

This wooden figure was crafted to resemble the human body accurately, with movable joints that mimicked real human anatomy.

“The essence of drawing manga lies in dynamic composition. To achieve that, you must practice drawing characters from various angles, so make it a daily exercise.”

This was precisely the assignment Edric needed to develop his skills.

Watching Edric’s expression light up like a child receiving a new toy, Rupert saw him eagerly sit down at his desk, place the mannequin in front of him, and begin drawing.

Rupert couldn’t help but feel excited to see what this passionate prince would eventually create.

 

“Hah!”

Clang!

“Indeed, Northern swordsmanship is fierce.”

“I didn’t expect you to have such skill yourself!”

Meanwhile, in the training yard, Kyle, the second son of the Border Marquis, was sparring with Owen, the Somerset family knight.

‘What brings Sir Kyle to our estate?’

‘Haha, Professor. I thought it might be better to spend my vacation in the warm South rather than the cold, dull North.’

Originally, Kyle had planned to stay in the capital, enjoying matches with the Third Prince, but ended up joining Edric at the Somerset estate.

When Kyle arrived, Rupert, already hosting Edric, felt resigned and decided to welcome him as a guest as well.

However, since Edric was busy practicing his drawing, Kyle turned to the family knights for sparring partners.

Among them, he noticed Owen, whose skills had been progressing rapidly.

‘Would you mind a spar?’

‘It would be an honor to experience Northern swordsmanship firsthand.’

Since then, the two had sparred daily.

With Kyle’s aggressive Northern sword style and Owen’s steadfast Western technique, focused on solid defense, they proved to be ideal sparring partners.

And—

“Ada wants to fight big brother too!”

“Young lady, I’d be honored!”

Sometimes, Ada would jump in, captivated by the sparring, leading to some surprisingly effective bouts.

“Professor, I’ve completed the analysis you assigned.”

“Already?”

“It didn’t feel like work. I was so engrossed that it went by faster than expected.”

The final unexpected visitor to the Somerset estate, Adrian, handed Rupert a stack of papers.

“Hmm, you’ve analyzed this thoroughly.”

“Yes, I initially thought children’s books would be simple, but I was surprised by the complexity.”

The task Rupert had assigned was none other than a thorough analysis of his works.

‘I can’t get the image of the audience’s reactions to my work out of my mind.’

Adrian had approached Rupert one day, mentioning how he couldn’t forget the audience’s engagement with the animated piece he had scripted for the closing ceremony.

‘The script… I’m planning to create a full-length animation about an hour long.’

‘Really? Then, could I have a chance to write the script?’

‘I know you have talent, Adrian, but there are areas where you still need improvement.’

‘What areas would those be?’

‘Creating a work isn’t just about putting your ideas onto paper.’

Animation, or rather, manga, required meticulous attention to detail and consideration.

To build that foundation, Rupert asked Adrian to read through all his children’s books and analyze their core themes, strengths, weaknesses, memorable parts, and appealing characters.

‘This is practically an editorial course.’

From the first time Rupert met Adrian, he had sensed that he would make an excellent editor.

However, due to Adrian’s status, Rupert had refrained from suggesting it outright. But since Adrian had come to him on his own, there was no reason to refuse.

‘A good editor is also a good scriptwriter. With this level of analytical skill, Adrian could very well handle animation scripts in the future.’

Currently, Rupert was in charge of everything from scriptwriting to illustration, but once the Academy resumed, he wouldn’t have the time.

If Adrian continued developing and could eventually take over that role, Rupert would feel secure.

“My favorite piece is undoubtedly A Dog of Flanders, given its depiction of society’s grim realities…”

Adrian shared his thoughts on the works as Rupert listened.

At a nearby desk, Edric was practicing his drawing.

In the training yard, Kyle rolled across the ground, having taken one of Ada’s kicks.

The Somerset estate had grown so familiar with these sights that the scene felt almost peaceful.

But then—

“Master!”

Alain’s urgent voice broke the tranquility as he called out for Rupert.